


The Night of Howlerween

by Ayb_Abtu



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Gen, Halloween, Judy Hopps & Nick Wilde Friendship, Night Howlers, Pre-Judy Hopps/Nick Wilde, Savage Judy Hopps, Zootopia Police Department
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2019-01-25 09:12:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12527952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ayb_Abtu/pseuds/Ayb_Abtu
Summary: Before work finishes for the last day of October, Judy is getting excited to scare Nick with her family's yearly hayride, but one last task given to her by Chief Bogo changes her plan considerably.





	The Night of Howlerween

 

                The station had been quiet most of the day, with the denizens of the city going through their last minute Halloween preparations. Bogo rested in his office, dreading the next day’s slew of reports regarding spray paint and toilet paper, and Clawhauser minded the front desk, handing out forms to the few animals that wandered in from the street. The pumpkins and lights littering the station seemed to mock Nick, at his desk, waiting for the return of his energetic partner. He watched as she came back from the locker room, changed out of her uniform, into her costume that she planned to wear, jeans, a flowing white blouse, and an old red cape, with an attached hood covering her ears. Nick tried not to laugh when he saw her, but it was obvious from his bouncing he wasn’t containing it well.

“What?” Judy asked through a smile.

“I thought you said this would be the scariest Halloween I’d ever had?” Nick reminded, “What’s so scary about Red Riding Hood?”

“HEY! I said my family’s HAY RIDE would be scary!” she corrected. "And Red Riding Hood IS a horror story... If you're a wolf"

“Well, I'm not" Nick said, swishing his tail about , "I’m still not convinced Fluff…” he teased. “An army of bunnies… I think I’ll be more afraid of the hay” Judy’s smile grew at his over confidence, as she grabbed the cape, putting it around herself.

“I couldn’t have a scary costume, I was always selling the tickets, and passing out cider at the end of the ride” she explained, “There were kits and cubs that couldn’t go for the ride because of how scary it can be… some of my brothers are a little… savage about the holiday”

“I’ll leave my inner child at home then…” Nick said with an air of smugness, making Judy smile in disbelief. “So those rags are old?” Judy twisted her lip into a sneer.

“They aren’t RAGS Fox…” she huffed, grabbing the edge of the cloth before her grin returned to answer him, “But the cloak IS old, the rest of the costume I outgrew years ago. I had to improvise”

“Okay, YOU improvising IS a little scary…” he replied. Judy rolled her eyes as she shook her head glancing at the clock on her phone to see there was only ten minutes left before they could leave.

“Oh stop it…” she chuckled, as Bogo stepped out of the office, looking the two of them over.

“Hopps…” Bogo said, calling her attention to him, her excitement for the night plastered across her face, “You’re still on the clock…” he added, his tone dipping low. Nick and Judy’s eyes shot wide, nervous for what might come next. “Where’s your uniform…?”

“There was… only a few minutes… before…” Judy stammered, as Bogo glowered at her. Once he could see she was uncomfortable, he revealed a smile.

“Gotcha…” Bogo said, forcing her paw to cover her face in embarrassment, as Nick laughed. “It’s fine, but I need you to run a box down to Evidence before you go” he said, pointing to a large box he had set down next to his door.

“Great! C’mon Nick!” she said before bounding away.

“I actually need to have a word with Wilde” Bogo said, handing the keys to the lockup to her. She took it with a confused glance. “There’s no one in there today, I’ve got everyone else on patrol. Maybe we’ll save a few mailboxes…” he explained as she took the keys. “Just make sure to lock it back up when you’re finished”

                Judy nodded as she went off to complete her task, leaving the two of them behind as she dragged the box, twice her size toward the elevator. Bogo turned his sights to Nick, whose smile faded, wondering what he could have done wrong.

“Yeah Chief?” Nick asked, preferring to get the reprimand out of the way.

“Nothing really,” he said, grinning as the elevator door closed, “she just shouldn’t have been out of uniform yet…” he finished with a laugh.

“You said it was fine…” Nick said.

“I don’t get to spook anyone often, but I’ve still got to keep SOME order around here” he said. “But while I’m here…” he continued, “It’s your first Halloween on the force… just want to make sure your clearheaded for you shifts tomorrow…”

“If it’s as quiet as today…” Nick said, emphasizing his boredom with a sigh. Bogo chuckled slightly at the sound.

“It seems to cycle actually,” Bogo said “last year was hectic, but Precinct Four is getting all the fun this year… their holding cell is probably full by now…”

 

* * *

 

 

                Getting off the elevator, Judy tugged the box down the hallway, passing the stairs, and up to the empty evidence cage. Using the box as a step, she unlocked the door and headed inside to the second door, unlocking the gate and pulling it open. She perused the line of metal shelves, looking for the space the box had come from, finally finding it in the middle row of shelving, at the bottom of the far side. She dragged the box around the shelf, propping one end of it onto the creaking shelf and pushed from the front side as hard as she could, making slow progress to get it back where it belonged. The low whines from the already overloaded tower grated on her nerves as she struggles to have the container, finally resorting to slamming her shoulder into it, as it gave way, sliding into place. “Hmph” she uttered proudly as she examined its resting place, but as she took a step, she was distracted by a cracking sound. She looked around to notice the plastic foot of the shelf had shattered, followed by the slow tipping of the top heavy shelf, threatening to unload all that it held on top of her. “Uh oh…” she said before darting behind the neighboring shelf for cover.

                She covered her head as the overloaded shelving fell. Boxes of carefully filed evidence spilled their contents everywhere as the shelf clanged and smashed into the next, eventually tipping toward the wall, the topmost shelf hanging itself on the lever of the breaker box. In an instant, the room went dark. Judy sighed once the commotion had settled, relieved for not getting hit with any of the boxes, and that she could suffer the embarrassment of the mess she made without Nick immediately teasing her, but she knew the longer she waited to face that particular music, the more unrelenting he would be. “He’ll probably save it for while he’s watching me try to re-file all this…” she thought as she pulled out her phone, switching on the flashlight.

                She did her best to carefully navigate herself through the mess, glancing up to the breaker box, and realized she would need help to move the offending shelf to get the lights back on. She tried to move herself free of the mess, but her distraction came with a single misstep, heralded by a dull popping sound from under her foot. “Ooooo,” she muttered, her upper lip curling, “I hope that wasn’t important…”

 

* * *

 

 

“Tomorrow is going to be full of reports” Bogo said, staring down at Nick.

“And I’m sure most of them will involve toilet paper…” Nick retorted with a smile. “Half asleep or not, I think I’ll be able to handle it.”

“Hmph” Bogo laughed, “YOU maybe, but you see how she is about holidays, I don’t need her to be exhaus-“ Bogo stopped, looking around the station, surprised as everything went dark. Nick’s eye’s shot wide, adjusting to the new lighting conditions.

“Did I miss you… ordering us to put together a haunted house?” Nick joked. Bogo grumbled, standing perfectly still, before glancing over the balcony at the lobby below, the windowed edges barely illuminated by the streetlamps outside.

“Chief?” Clawhauser called from the desk below, his voice echoing through the deserted lobby, “The powers out…” Bogo rolled his eyes.

“Are you sure about that Clawhauser?!” Bogo said with heavy sarcasm, “…if there’s anyone not in uniform in the station, see them out!” feeling his way toward the wall, but unable to see a thing. “Having someone trip over something in the dark is the last thing I need tonight…”

“Hold on Chief” Nick said, grabbing the knee of Bogo’s uniform, stopping him from walking straight into the wall, and leading him back to his office.

“Thanks Wilde,” Bogo said, grabbing hold of his desk to find his way to the chair, sitting down with a heavy sigh. “Go grab a flashlight and check the breaker, would you?”

“Flashlights are overrated when you have natural night vision” Nick gloated, tapping near the corner of his eye. Bogo cracked a smug grin at the tone in his voice.

“Well goooood… then you won’t mind taking Clawhauser with you, he can see in the dark too!” Bogo huffed, “Just get the power back on…” Nick hung his head as he headed toward the stairs, not looking forward to hearing about any controversy surrounding the latest Gazelle album.

 

                 After collecting Clawhauser and locking the station doors, the duo headed for the stairwell, wondering what could have happened. Once at the bottom step, they peered around the corner, down the hallway that led to the evidence lockup. Clawhauser started to tighten up, squinting as the streetlamps couldn’t reach this far to shed light on anything. “Are you… scared Ben?” Nick asked, turning to see him tensing.

“No…” Clawhauser said with a meek tone. “My night eyes just aren’t… great…” he added as Nick watched his paws ball up. “It’s actually why I’m not on field duty anymore…”

“That’s why?” Nick asked, his eyes falling to Clawhauser’s belly. “Any… other reasons?” Clawhauser laughed at the accusation, patting his gut.

“Nah, I can still pass the fitness exam with this… somehow” he replied jovially, but his smile faded when he realized Nick had trapped him.

 “You saw where I was looking… I’d say your night sight works fine” Nick said with a smile. “You’re just afraid of the dark, huh?” Clawhauser’s eyes shot wide as he pulled out a flashlight.

“Terrified…” he said with a frightful stare, making Nick’s smug lip stretch further.

“Where’s your phone? Nick asked, looking at the large, clunky flashlight.

“It died, I JUST put it on the charger when the lights went out.” Clawhauser said. “Yours?”

“At my desk…” Nick said as his grin faded, both of them whipping their heads around the corner as a loud metallic bang came from down the hall, their ears pinning back as the sound shot through them. “Fluuuuff? You okay down there?” Nick called. His brow knitted more and more as he waited for a response, but his tension mounted when none came. Clawhauser switched on the light as they both dropped off the last step.

                They headed down the hall slowly, the small column of light from the flashlight didn’t brighten the hall much, and didn’t help Nick at all, forcing his vision to constantly re-adjust, making it hard to see anything, in light or darkness. The beam shook more and more as it emanated from Clawhauser’s paw, growing more nervous as they headed closer to the lockup, being assaulted by more eerie sounds. The high pitched creek of the old cage door as it slowly moved, a scurrying sound that seemed to come from somewhere ahead of them, and another squeak that neither of them could identify, shrugging as they looked at each other.

Even Nick was growing tense as they came closer to the door, seeing another light in the dark as the inside of the cage became visible. “Carrots?” Nick called again, but was once again left without a response. He followed the light back to its source, seeing a phone, face down on the floor, pausing to look around again.

“Hopps?” Clawhauser asked, shining the light at the intersecting hallways just past the cage.

“This isn’t funny Judy… the whole station’s out of power.” Nick said, “If this is a prank, you should have studied me better…” he added, slipping around the door to pick up the phone. Shining the light into the inner cage, he could see the breaker box, and the shelf that had the lever pinned down. He followed the tipped shelving unit down to the floor, files and hard evidence scattered everywhere. “Judy?!” he said, darting into the disaster. Ben looked over, drawn by the panic in Nick’s voice, as he looked at the mess for himself.

“She’s not… under there… is she?” he asked with a hard swallow, as Nick skirted around the shelf, and began shuffling stacks of paperwork and other evidence out of the way, sighing with relief as he stood.

“No…” Nick said, “…which asks a bigger question…” He looked about, his gaze drawn down the other hall. Climbing out of the mess, he made it back to the standing area, and they both headed back out to the corridor, the light still shaking as Clawhauser aimed it at the wall ahead of them. “Take a breath, turn it off, or let me hold it” Nick said, holding out his paw, but Clawhauser took a deep breath, steadying the circle of light.

It remained steady as they both called out to Judy again, and held still listening for a response, when a sudden flash of red darted through the beam, and a frantic scurrying sound chased it down the hall. They jumped, startled at the unexpected movement. Clawhauser dropped the flashlight, smashing the lens as it hit the floor. It rolled away, flickering as it began to fail, stopping its getaway as it clacked against something, finally extinguishing the bulb. Nick shut off the phones much weaker light so he could finally see with some consistency, looking at the object the cylinder had struck. He reached out, picking it up to get a better look.

“Is that… evidence?” Clawhauser asked. Nick nodded, with a confused tip of his head, still waiting for his eyes to adjust for better detail. “What’s it doing out here?”

“Dunno” Nick said, as he looked over the case, as there was something familiar about it.

 

* * *

  

                Judy lifted her foot, tipping the light down to see what it was. One spot of the floor seemed to have a different shine, reflecting the light back at her. “What… is that?” she wondered, looking at the off colored, blue stain on the bottom of her foot, a stain that seemed to be disappearing. She quickly shined the light about, before it fell on a small travel case. As she looked at it she could see the fall had cracked it open, its contents lying beside it in the corner, a wave of fear washing over her when she saw the outline, of Doug’s Night Howler rifle. “Night…  Howler….? OH!” she exclaimed, as all the pieces fell into place, terrified at the prospect of what she knew would happen next.

                She quickly darted for the case, opening it the rest of the way, looking for the Howler capsule that accompanied it, but it was nowhere to be found, assuring her of what had happened. Hhuu…OH NO! nonononono!” she stammered, her foot burning as it absorbed the toxic fluid. Her heart began to race, hastening the spread of the serum. A heat overtook her, bringing with it a dizziness that blurred her vision of the case. Her breath shortened to a panicked huff as she scrambled into action, knowing what was happening to her, and having no way to stop it.

                She rushed to put the weapon back into the case, and maneuvered her way around the shelf, heading for the open cage door, throwing the case along the floor, hoping it would act as an explanation when someone came to check on the power. She grabbed the key for the lockup and headed closer to the door, trying to lock herself in, but the sense of her surroundings was being lost to the swirling in her mind. The trembling in her arms and legs became overwhelming, slowing her down as the heat consuming her body intensified. Her head was throbbing, barely able to breathe, she stared at the door of the lockup as she staggered toward it, hearing the sharp chimes and echo of the key hitting the floor as everything went black.

 

* * *

 

 

                Nick’s ears pulled back as a horrified expression dominated his face, looking at the contents of the case, seeing that one of its components was wholly missing. “No… no! JUDY!” he yelled, tossing the case back into the cage, as he looked up at the hall, his shout making Clawhauser even more tense. Nick took the lead as they stepped closer to the corner, ready to follow the apparition. They crept up to the intersection, as Nick poked his head around the corner, not seeing anything other than the closed door for the Records archive, and the entrance to the boiler room. “Wait here…” Nick said, his voice aghast with concern for his partner, as he thought about it more, worried Clawhauser might get in his way.

“What is it?” Clawhauser asked, looking back at the case.

“Call the hospital! Tell them they’ll need Nighthowler antigen for a savage rabbit!” Nick spat, his ears pulling further behind him, causing Clawhauser’s tail to puff its hairs out, his eyes shining wide in the dark. “And TELL BOGO!”

“Ok, I’m on it!” he said, taking the opportunity to vacate the scene entirely, darting back down the hall and up the stairs, leaving Nick to find her on his own.

                Nick took a few deep breaths as he continued to stare down the hall, hoping he could catch her without hurting her, not knowing what to expect from a savage bunny. “Judy…” he muttered in a soothing tone, hoping to coax her out of wherever she was hiding, before turning the corner and creeping down the hall. “Come on out, Fluff…” he said, eyeing the corner that would lead him into the boiler room. He crouched down as he reached the opening, ready to snag her if she tried to get past. “Here bunny, bunny, bunny…” he said, pausing to snicker to himself, “You can scowl at me later for that…”

                The boiler room was fairly large, housing the piping leading all over the station. A low hum came from the two hundred gallon boiler itself, bouncing off the walls, concealing the quietest sounds she might be making. He bent down further, putting his cheek to the floor to see beneath the large bubbling cauldron, but even for him, it was too dark to see anything unless it moved, bringing him to sigh with impatience, worry she might make a hasty move and burn herself on the heat of the pipes.

                Taking her phone out of his pocket, he turned the light back on, slowly scanning the edge of the floor from the entryway. Finding nothing in the first corner to his right, he continued, glancing occasionally under the boiler, and to his left, thinking the movement of the light could push her closer to him as she tried to avoid it. Passing over the mop bucket in the second corner, he shined it under to boiler to the third, assuming it to be the best hiding spot the room had to offer. When he found nothing there either, he readied his arm, ready to snatch her in case she made a dash for the door from the only corner left.

                The light jittered in his hand as he adjusted himself, ready to make a move when she did, pushing the circle closer to the corner, as his ears perked to the sound of a wooden stick bouncing against the concrete floor, spurring him to swing around and look back to the mop bucket. Holding the light on it he tried calling out again. “Carrots…? It’s just me… you know I’m not gonna hurt you…” he said, getting himself upright again, and taking a gentle crouched step into the room, confident he knew where she was. The bucket was still in the way, but as he looked past the wheels, he could see small strips of the grey and white of her feet, and the red fabric of the cloak of her costume. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly, grateful to at least know where she was. “Would you still drink your hot pepper decaf like this? If you come out nicely I’ll make you a fresh cup…”

                Taking a few more slow steps toward the bucket, he could see a poof of grey fuzz, her tail pressed tight against the wall, as a thumping sound came from her, muted by the poured stone flooring, as her feet slammed against it. “Don’t be scared, Fluff… I’m trying to help you” he said softly, trying not to bite his lip. Holding his paws out toward her, he took another step, slowly revealing himself to her, shining the light directly over her. He was filled with sympathy at the sight he knew he would have a hard time forgetting.

                She was huddled into the corner as tight as she could, nose twitching rapidly, her ears perked tight as he came into view, having knocked the hood off of her head, and a terrified look in her wide open, dilated eyes, almost solid black, save the twinkle of the light as it reflected off of them, leaving a vacant, wild, and unpredictable impression about her. The cape and hood of her costume was tattered at the edges, as if she’d been chewing at it, trying to tug it off.

He fought with himself to stay focused, but the sight was too distracting, forcing thoughts he didn’t want to have, fearing his friend was no longer there, leaving her body a shell, controlled by this primal spirit. He grit his teeth, being forced to think of Bellwether and her goons, locked away and yet still able to hurt his friend in such a way. Shaking the thought away, he moved closer, hoping not to startle her.

She thumped again as his dim lit figure moved into her sight. He watched her head dart around, analyzing her surroundings. Nick moved thinking she was going to dart away, spooking her into jumping straight into the air. As she landed she looked around again franticly. “Hey, hey, juuuust reeeelaaax…” Nick said, holding his paw toward her. She twisted her head up, eyeing it cautiously until he held it still. After a moment she stretched toward it, sniffing at him, and looking away as she pulled her head back. Nick inched himself closer, “Carrots, please… come here…” he pleaded, letting her sniff at him again, as she froze. “You picked a quite a night for thi-“ he started, but before he could finish, she lunged past him toward the door. He reached out to grab her, managing to get a hold of her foot, but she quickly turned on him, curling up and sinking her teeth into his finger. “Ahhh!” he exclaimed, releasing his grip out of shock, dropping her. Once she was back on all fours, she bounded away quickly, forcing him to give chase as to not lose her. “Judy! Wait…”

 

“Please go into the cage...” he muttered to himself as she dashed down the hall trying to lose him, but he was right behind her. They turned the corner, passing by the evidence room as she headed toward the maintenance garage. “Not there!” he said, holding up the phone to shine the light on the floor just past the stairs. She scrabbled to stop, narrowly avoiding it, turning instead to hop up the steps. Nick paused for a moment, hoping the stairs would slow her down, “Can’t believe that WORKED…”    

Reaching the stairs himself he started the climb, but he didn’t see her. She was faster than he expected, catching a glimpse of her tail as he turned to head up the second staircase on the landing that would lead them to the wide open lobby. “Clawhauser!” Nick shouted up the stairs, “STOP HER!” as he made it to the top. He looked around, trying to figure out which way she went, confused when he didn’t see a trace of her. The lobby was devoid of anyone. “BEN!” he shouted again.

“Did you find her?” Clawhauser shouted back from the balcony, after rushing out of Bogo’s office.

“Yeah, and I could use some help” he replied.

“Okay! An ambulance is on the way, and we’ll be right down. Bogo’s looking for something!” Ben said, his tail waving about.

“Well hurry! She almost ran into the garage!” Nick said, seeing Bogo leaving his office with his own flashlight.

“Is she alright?” Bogo asked, as he picked up his pace and headed toward the farm room upstairs.

“For NOW!” Nick replied, as he went back to his search.

                Kneeling down, he started to sniff around, hoping there hadn’t been too much traffic through the station before Clawhauser locked the door, so he could isolate her scent. There was a cacophony of smells, but as he moved he was able to pick hers out, following it to the edge of Clawhauser’s desk. He silently peeked around it, spotting the out-of-breath rabbit cowering in one of the cubby holes under the desk. She stared at him, letting out a whimper, squeaking as he came more into view. Nick saw her, shaking in terror, he could only imagine what it looked like to her, a vicious predator, with sharp teeth gleaming in the dark as it tried to pin her down. “I’m not going to hurt you, Judy” Nick tried to reason with her once more, the sound of his voice perking her ears against the top of the cubby, as her nose flitted about. “But I’m not letting you get away again… you NEED to go to the hospital” he added, noticing a red spot on her lip as her nose poked out of the desk. He glanced down at his finger, only now noticing the dry, stiff patch in his fur, realizing that she had bitten him hard enough to draw blood, sighing at the sight, holding it out for her to see. She twitched her nose at it before looking back to him, her eyes quickly drawn to the side as a light shined about, as Bogo and Clawhauser came closer.

                “Sorry Carrots” Nick said taking the moment of her distraction to cover the hole she was in with both his paws, trapping her. He edged his paws down, shoring his block so he could reach in and scoop her up, pulling her out and holding her tight. His thumbs against her back and his fingers wrapping her arms, pinning them against her chest, she kicked her hind legs in tandem to try to wriggle free, but when it didn’t help her, she curled her legs against her belly, resorting back to chewing at him. He moved his fingers in whatever ways he could to not bear the wrath of her teeth again as Bogo approached, looking them over with empathy.

“Oh Hopps… what happened down there…?” Bogo said with a sigh, “Good job Wilde…” he added, holding up a small clear plastic cage with holes strewn about the top edge of its walls. As Nick looked at the cage, it brought with it the sensation of a muzzle strap, tightening around his head. He looked at Bogo, his face twisting into a scowl by the thought of her being in it.

“What… is… THAT…?!” he barked. Bogo let out another sigh, sharing Nick’s sentiment.

“We got these… when the Night Howlers were poised to be an epidemic” Bogo explained, “It’s not something I thought we’d… ever need…”

“She’s not going in there!” Nick argued. Bogo bent down, resting himself on one knee, giving Nick a sympathetic stare.

“It’s for her own protection, as well as ours” Bogo said as the flailing bunny managed to sink her teeth into another of Nick’s fingers. Gritting his teeth to the pain Nick turned away from Bogo, and started to make his way to the door, as flashing colored lights lit up the windows.

“She’s got all the protection she needs…” Nick stated, his tone growing defensive.

“Nick… I know it seems humiliating… but-” Clawhauser started before Nick interrupted.

“I’m not letting her go until they PRY HER away from me! Now get the door OPEN BEN!” Nick said with defiance, as he ignored the rabbit teeth that continued to furiously chomp at him. Bogo and Clawhauser looked at each other with concern, before following Nick to the door.

“Wilde,” Bogo started as they walked, “I know it’s upsetting… but if we open that door, and she does somehow get away from you, she’ll be loose in the city…” he paused, waiting for his words to sink in, slowing Nick in his tracks, as images of Judy replaced his former recollections, hiding in bushes, darting through traffic, and scrounging for food in the most barren of places the city had to offer, all without a shred of concern for the dignity she deserved. Hanging his head, Nick turned back to Bogo, holding the rabbit close to his chest.

“Point taken…” he said, pausing as he stared at the cage. Bogo smiled, as he set it down, and opened the door.

“I  thought so” Bogo said, as Nick set her inside, gently, watching her feet touch the floor of it and kick her way to the back wall, nails scratching the plastic cage as she went. Bogo slammed it closed once she was inside, securing the latch. Clawhauser handed the key to Bogo, ready to stay behind to get the power back on. Bogo put a hand on Nick’s back, assuring him of their mutual distaste for the best solution they had, as they headed outside to the waiting ambulance. Bogo handed the cage to the emergency team, motioning for Nick to go with them. “Go. Keep an eye on her, when she wakes up, I’m sure she’ll appreciate it…”

 

* * *

 

 

                Judy twitched, feeling an odd sensation in her arm, her head aching, pounding more as she opened her eyes to the light outside. The view wasn’t familiar as she turned her head, to an unfamiliar ceiling staring back down at her, slowly processing the sights. She looked up to see the empty I.V. bag, following the tube down to where it was taped to her arm. Once she realized she was in the hospital, she sat up in shock, gasping loud, as he head jerked around, unable to remember what happened to bring her here. She wasn’t left alone with her thoughts for long, as her gasp quickly woke the sleeping fox on the floor, shooting up to greet her.

“Finally up Carrots?” Nick asked, yawning as he stretched.

“Nick?! Wh-What happened?! Why am I…?” she asked, afraid of what the answer might be, as she held her punctured arm away from her. Nick forced a smile, hoping to be as reassuring as he could be as he explained.

“You went… a little savage… about the holiday…” he said, as her brow raised in confusion. “How much do you remember?” Judy shook her head as she tried to recall.

“I… I remember going into the evidence room… and the power… went out…?” she stammered. Nick explained as much as he could, keeping the plastic cage and Judy’s defiant fighting to himself, her face twisting in horror as pieces of memories surfaced for everything he described.

“Evidence rooms uh… bit of a mess…” he joked, hoping to see her smile, but she merely shook her head, covering her eyes in embarrassment. “But… you’re okay now… that’s what’s important. Bogo already has Clawhauser cleaning up,” Nick said, “and now he’s got an excuse to replace all those shelves” he added, moving a bag from the chair and taking a seat.

“What a disaster…” Judy said, noticing the bandages on Nick’s fingers. “What... happened to you?” she asked timidly.

“Well… one of us had to get a hold of you to get you here… let’s just say, even when you’re not yourself, you don’t want to go to the hospital” he admitted, painting her face with guilt.

“I’m sorry Nick…” she said, appalled by her actions, as her fingers wound together. “But at least that explains the taste in my mouth…” she said, smacking her lips as they curled in disgust.

“I’m not sweet enough for you…?” he teased, finally pulling a laugh from her, music to his ears, even if it had a sad tone to it. “Don’t worry about it Fluff, you had a worse night than I did. You missed your chance to scare me with your HAYRIDE… but you still scared me good so… Happy Halloween?” Nick said, drawing a happier laugh from her, leaning down to rummage through the bag that Bogo had dropped off over night.

“There’s always next year” she said, reminding him he wouldn’t be able to escape it forever, as she looked at the hospital gown, “Wait… where's my costume?” Nick reached into the bag, pulling the red cloak out.

“It uh… got a rough treatment…” he said, handing it to her. She unraveled it, seeing new lines of stitching along the edges. “I think you were chewing on it…”

 “And… YOU sewed it?” she asked, looking back to him with disbelief.

“What? I’m not allowed to know how to sew?” Nick teased. She stared at him as her eyes filled with a sympathetic gratitude. “It seemed… important.”

“Thank you, Nick” she said. Nick smiled, standing to head out the door, as she fiddled with her lip, “Blehhhh…” she exclaimed, plucking a dark red hair from her front teeth. Nick smiled as he turned away.

“Be right back” he said, heading down the hall to the coffee machine. She looked at the cape, seeing how much work he put into it, adding to what it already meant to her, as she clutched it to her chest. She folded it back up before Nick returned with her green coffee thermos, steam billowing from the open top. Judy smiled at the gesture, grateful for knowing he did everything he could for her the night before, and was still going above and beyond.

“You didn’t need to do all that Nick…” she said, resting her head back on the pillow, her smile beaming at her best friend, as he set the cup down, reaching down to the bag again.

“I didn’t? You couldn’t do it yourself…” he said, spinning the top off of the jar of hot peppers, thinking about nothing but her, and the coffee he knew she wanted. Judy watched, before it dawned on her, seeing him reach two bandaged fingers toward the open jar.

“Oh! Nick WAIT!” she said, moments too late. His white bandages quickly soaked up the pepper juice, filling the room with painful shouts and happy laughter. “Happy Halloween… dumb Fox…”

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween ^^ Hope you enjoyed it
> 
> This was the premise I had last year, but didn't start with all this writing stuff until mid November. It turned out better than it would have last year, at least, I HOPE my skills are improving anyway lol  
> I had a second story I wanted to do, but it's more Twilight Zone-ish, and I'll need to get a lot better to do that style any justice. Maybe next year.


End file.
